Australians looking to build a new home can reduce the energy required to heat and cool their home by up to 40% by taking advantage of the most energy-efficient designs under the Albanese Government's updated Design For Place initiative.
Available for free on the Your Home website, Design For Place provides energy-efficient and climate resilient home plans, designed by an architect working with an energy assessor.
There are five house plans, with sub-designs and specifications tailored for 9 locations in different climate zones, including Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney.
Design For Place has been revised to meet the current National Construction Code, allowing Australians to easily select and build comfortable, energy-efficient homes that meet or beat the new minimum 7-star NatHERS energy-efficiency requirement.
The annual energy consumed by the home's major or fixed appliances - including heating, cooling and hot water systems, offset by energy provided by solar and stored in household batteries - is also included in the new NatHERS Whole of Home rating.
Australian households can work with a builder to construct a Design For Place home or work with a designer or architect to refine the plan to meet their needs and preferences.
Design For Place plans are free and can be downloaded from the Your Home website at www.yourhome.gov.au/house-designs.
Comment attributable to Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson:
"The cheapest energy is the energy you don't use in the first place. Providing free, practical and thorough design examples through Design for Place is about making new homes cheaper to run and more comfortable at the same time.
"A home built to the new Design For Place specifications will reduce household energy bills and put downward pressure on the cost-of-living, while reducing emissions.
"Energy efficiency requirements under the National Construction Code have lifted the minimum NatHERS star rating of Australian homes from 6 to 7 stars.
"Many Design For Place houses far exceed this minimum requirement, with ratings up to 10 stars.
"Because residential buildings account for 11% of Australia's emissions, these kind of sensible, cost-saving improvements to home energy efficiency will play an important role in achieving the nation's net zero target."
